Homer Flashcards
time
the honour a Homeric hero hopes to win
aidos
the shame or respectful modesty a Homeric character feels towards someone who has great time
kleos
the glorious reputation a Homeric warrior hopes to win
xenia
in Homer, hospitality given unconditionally to a traveller , involving the giving of any help needed; known as ‘guest-friendship’
pathos
literally ‘suffering’ in Greek, an appeal to the reader’s emotions by inviting them to feel pity and sadness
fate
a set of future events that are destined to happen and cannot be changes
hexameter
a poetic metre that has six units to a line
epic poetry
poetry focusing on great deeds, composed in hexameter verse
epithet
an adjectival word or phrase regularly added to a name to denote a personal or physical quality
Achaeans, Argives, Danaana
all Homeric terms for the Greeks
`bard
a public storyteller who recited vast amounts of poetry to the accompaniment of the lyre, often during banquets
Homeric question
the debate about the authorship of the iliad and the Odyssey and about the identity of Homer
oral culture
a society where people rely on word of mouth rather than writing
aristeia
a scene in an epic poem in which a great warrior fights with exceptional courage
Homer
the name given to the poet who was though to have composed the iliad and the Odyssey
